Current D1 AD Openings: 20
There have been 262 D1 hires at 223 unique institutions since 2020.
There have been 47 D1 hires since January 2025.
Updated 4/12/26. This page will be updated to reflect ongoing D1 AD changes.
Most Common Immediately Prior Job Titles
- The 3 most common pathways to these D1 athletic director hires have been:
- Deputy AD:
- Since 2020: 95 hires
- 2025-2026: 24 hires
- Sitting AD:
- Since 2020: 73 hires
- 2025-2026: 11 hires
- Senior Associate AD:
- Since 2020: 31 hires
- 2025-2026: 3 hires
- Deputy AD:
- These 3 pathways represented:
- Since 2020: 199 of 262 hires (75%)
- 2025-2026: 38 of 46 hires (82%)
Key Observations
- There have been 72 total internal promotions to the AD chair since 2020 across division one (27%)
- 15 of the 47 hires in 2025-2026 so far were internal promotions (29%)
- 17 sitting ADs have left their position voluntarily to become a Deputy AD since 2020 and 5 so far in 2025-2026
- Retirements remain a major driver for departures with 68 ADs retiring since 2020 and 11 so far in 2025-2026
- Sitting ADs leave for other AD positions often, too, with 73 sitting ADs leaving for the same position at other D1 schools since 2020 and 9 so far in 2025-2026
- Out of 262 hires since 2020, only 43 were female (16%) and 16 of those hires were internal promotions (35%)
- Out of 47 hires so far in 2025-2026, only 4 have been females (< 1%)
20 Openings as of April 12, 2026
There are currently 20 projected open AD positions:
- FBS Autonomy: 2
- Kentucky, Wisconsin
- FBS Non-Power: 4
- Old Dominion, Toledo, Oregon State, South Alabama
- FCS: 7
- South Carolina State, Southern Utah, Texas Southern, Wagner College, Northern Arizona, Duquesne, North Carolina A&T
- I-AAA: 7
- Saint Joseph’s, New Orleans, CSU Bakersfield, CSU Fullerton, San Francisco, Northern Kentucky, Wright State
D1 Subdivision Analysis
FBS Power (Autonomy)
- 2025–2026 so far: 11 hires
- 10 of the 11 were men
- 3 came from another AD chair
- 5 came from Deputy AD jobs, including 2 internal promotions
- 7 came from other Power schools
- 1 came from another FBS school
- 3 came from outside the industry of college athletics
Other FBS
- 2025-2026 so far: 17 hires
- All have been men
- 5 internal promotions
- 5 were sitting ADs
- 10 were Deputy ADs
- 9 from other FBS schools
- 2 from Power schools
- 3 from FCS schools
- 1 from an I-AAA school
- 2 came from non-school jobs
FCS
- 2025-2026 so far: 15 hires
- 12 of 15 have been men
- 7 internal promotions
- 2 were sitting ADs
- 8 were Deputy ADs
- 1 was a former AD
- 3 were other senior-level administrators and 1 faculty member
- 11 from other FCS schools
- 3 from Power schools
I-AAA
- 2025-2026 so far: 4 hires
- All have been men
- 1 internal promotion
- 1 was a sitting AD
- 2 were Deputy ADs
- 1 was a Senior Associate AD